Magnetic fields during the evolution towards planetary nebulae

Abstract

Magnetic fields appear ubiquitous throughout the envelopes of evolved stars. However, their origin and role in the formation of planetary nebulae is still unclear. As observations of magnetic fields are complicated and time consuming, the observed samples of AGB and post-AGB stars and planetary nebulae are still small. Still, magnetic energy seems to dominate the energy budget out to a distance of several tens of AU from the central star and the field morphology often appears to be well ordered. A short summary is given of the current observations and the potential of new instruments such as ALMA is discussed. © 2012 International Astronomical Union.